The beginnings of what is now Opelousas goes back into the 1700s. Over those early years and into the next century, Opelousas continued to grow and develop. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, that growth increases as more and more people from the East Coast, as well as other countries, settled in the town.

By the time Opelousas was officially incorporated in 1821, the population saw a substantial increase. More citizens meant more business opportunities, and soon Opelousas had a thriving commercial section around the St. Landry Parish Courthouse in the heart of the developing town. Among the businesses was a town market where produce, meat and other staples were sold.

The existence of a town market was noted in records from the 1820s. During a meeting of the Opelousas Board of Police on June 16, 1828, the board adopted an ordinance relative to the market, which imposed fines on any butcher or person selling diseased, tainted or spoiled meat. Although this was the first town market governed by the Opelousas Board of Police, there was probably an earlier market to serve the population when Opelousas was a post.

The street that ran next to the market was known as Market Street, as it is today.

An updated market building was constructed in 1853. After that market house was destroyed by a tornado in 1865, a new market house was built in 1867. That building served the community until 1888, when the present market house building was constructed.

Opelousas Town Market, built in 1888, on the corner of Market and Bellevue street in the 1890s.(Photo: Submitted)

Besides being a place to purchase meat and vegetables, the building also housed other businesses. In 1891, Mr. William Gil had a first-class coffee and lunch stand at the Opelousas Market House. Gil's Coffee Stand was a favorite gathering place for Opelousas businessmen and politicians. Many business deals, and political decisions were made over coffee and lunch at Gil's. One of the most popular dishes on the menu was fat goose gumbo, which was served almost daily.

T. H. Harris, who lived in Opelousas when he served as principal of St. Landry High School from 1896-1900, visited the town market and Gil’s Coffee Stand almost daily. He writes about those visits in his book "The Memories of T. H. Harris," written in 1940 and published in 1963 by the Bureau of Educational Materials and Research, College of Education, Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge.

In one account from that book, he wrote:

“It is easy to get acquainted with all of the male population (of Opelousas) because they all assembled on the courthouse square early in the morning and late in the afternoon to drink coffee at the meat market and talk politics. Thomas H. Lewis was usually on hand tall, large, dominating, black beard, the leading lawyer of Southwest Louisiana, wanting no office, but always molding public sentiment for use in electing his friends to office. Judge Gilbert L. Dupree (Dupre) was always there, hearing everything (he was not deaf then) and talking to everybody; and Marion Swards (Swords), the perpetual sheriff, was present, promising that if given one more term he would retire. And Lee Garland, the district attorney for forty or fifty years, talking French to a man on one side of him and English to a man on the other side of him; Henry Estorge, clerk of court, suave, soft of voice, was always one of the crowd, and he saw and talked to all. They were all there, the makers of public opinion, the rulers of government. They were all bilingual, good-natured, convivial, but few drunkards among them, though there were some. They knew everybody, were up on current questions and had opinions on all of them. I met these men and liked them.”

The town market was important to Opelousas history in many ways. In 1920, when women were given the right to vote in Louisiana, the ladies of Opelousas cast their first vote at the town market. On that evening, a reception to celebrate the voting was held there, with many citizens in attendance.

When the market hall was no longer needed in Opelousas, the old town market building was remodeled in 1932 and became the Opelousas City Hall until 1962, when the former Opelousas City Hall building was constructed on Court and Grolee streets. After the city hall offices moved, the building was used for various reasons by the St. Landry Parish Police Jury for a number of years. When the last office in that building was moved, the old structure sat vacant for some time.

In the mid 1980s, some members of the St. Landry Parish Police Jury wanted the building demolished. A group of Opelousas citizens banded together in order to save the building. After much discussion, which went on for years, it was decided the building would not be demolished. Work began to get the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Opelousas group wanted to have it listed as the Opelousas Town Market. However, because the building design was changed in 1932 when it became the city hall, the National Register would only allow it to be registered as the Old City Hall. It was accepted, and officially listed on the National Register on Sept. 8, 1987.

Following its listing on the National Register, the Old Town Market/Old City Hall Commission was appointed by the St. Landry Parish Police Jury. During the 1990s, the building was slowly renovated as donated monies became available.

Finally, after more than 15 years of hard work by dedicated public servants and citizen volunteers, the building was completed. A dedication ceremony to celebrate the renovation was held on Thursday, March 29, 2001. Today, the Old City Hall building sits on the corner of Market and Bellevue streets, on the spot where that 1828 market house was located.